William brown



@gillen tats @gamut A@jitsu IMPRGVED CARPET-STRETGHER AND TACK-DRIVER.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERNE Beit known thatI, WILIAM BROWN, ofSpringiield, Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful inventionfora arpet-Stretcher and Tack-Driver or Fastener combined in oneinstrument; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exactdescription of my said inrention, reference being had to the drawingsaccompany'- ing and making part of this my spccilication. l

Figure I of the drawings is an exterior side view or plan of my saidinvention. Figure II represents alongitudinal cross-section through thesame, showing the interior parts and their arrangement. i

Figures III and IV are side and plan views of the jaws which hold thetack, and also allow it to pas-s through, as hereinafter particularlydescribed. l

In all the figures the same letters represent the same parts.

'.lhe nature of my invention consists in arranging and combiningtogether twohollow cylindrical parts, one of which is adapted to be usedas a carpet-stretcher, and also to contain within its hollow portion,firstly, a plunger or hammer; secondly, s. spring by which'the hammer isoperated; thirdly, a'peculiar shape to the lower part of the plunger bywhich the descent of the tack is regulated fourthly, the jaws which holdthe tackigeady to be driven into the door by the blow of the plunger,and which open at the required moment to allow the tack to pass, theother hollow cylindrical part being a tack-feeder and conductor.

The exterior form of my combined carpet-stretcher and tack-fastener isshown in Fig. I, A being thc handle, B the shaft, and the teeth of thecarpet-stretcher, resembling in size and appearance somewhat thecarpetfstretche'r in common use. On the outside, and firmly fastened toB, I place the tube D, which is the tackfeeder or conductor. The partsAB I usually construct of stron-g wood, the part D of metal, and Ipreferbrass orcompositlihon metal, but I do not confine myself in either partto any particular kind of wood or metal. Within the hollow part of Il,toward the lower end, I place the cylindrical plunger E, which is toplayup and down as'required. This plunger has a taper or bevel at e, andfrom that taper extends downward ata reduced size or diameter to thcpart e, where there is another taper or bevel from which it extendsdownward at a reduced size or diameter to a third t'aper or bevel, c,having at the end a. hat surface about the size of an ordi'- nary tackhead. The obj-ect of these several tapers and 'diminutions of the sizeof the plunger at the `di`erent parts is to regulate the motion and'playof the plunger in connection with the descent and the driving of thetack,

-The' tack-conductor I) is a straight, hollow tube. extendingalong theupper side of the shaft of th'e carpet fast ener, and placed in a groovefrom the handle tolnearly the foot of the carpet-stretcher. It has anopening in the upper end to admit the tack always with its pointdownward. The lower part at the bottom is open on one side, as seen atd, Fig. II, by which it communicates through a similar opening into theinterior of the tube B. The bottom of the tube Dis bcvclled, as shown atcZ, so as to turn the tack toward the required direction in its descent.Wheuthe plunger is at rest, as shown in the drawing, Fig. II, the tackis'held by the plunger at the bottom ofthe tack-feeder D, but when theplunger is raised so that its lowest point is above the opening d, thenthe tack descends by its gravity .(thc stretcher being held when in uscin an upright position, or nearly 30,)

v down into the jaws, where it is held until the blow is given by theplunger to drive the tack into 'the loor. The play and stopping point ofthe plunger in its descent are xed by the shoulder of taper cl coming incontact with the bearing f inside the tube B. The interior diameter ofthe tube B is reduced at g g, so as to lit the reduced size of theplunger at that part, and the diameter shouldbe about` that of the tackhead so as to I'allow the tack to pass through loosely, but always in aposition of thc point downward. The jaws Gr are constructed as follows:'lhey are constructed in four equal sections, resembling the quartersections of a funnel, and when closed resemble the Figs. III and IV ofthe drawing; Fig. III showing a side elevation, and FigfIV across-section or plan of the bottom of the jaws..Y The upper parts of'the jaws have a lip or flange by which they are hinged to a. bearingwithinl the bottom part of tube B, so that the lower parts of the jawscan open outward apart from each other asfrequired. The parts orsections are held together by an India-rubber band, which permits theparts to open when the plunger drives the tack through, and closes themwhen the plunger is withdrawn. When the sections constituting the jawsare closed, a small opening islleft in the centre to receive the pointof the tack when it falls within the jaws, as shown in Fig. II at 1'.'lhe interior of the jaws is bevelled t) a funnel shape so as to be maca2 asily parted by thedescent of the plunger. II isa spiral spring uponthe head of theplunger, and secured at ts upper enimitliin'the tube B.This spring is made to a diameter 'of coil about equal tol that of theinterior of he'tube in which it works, and is made to have suilieientaction and reaction to operate the plunger; it should e so arranged inreference to the plunger, that when at rest the lower end of the plungerwill be just Within he funnel or hollow of the jaws. I is a cordattached to the head of the plunger, and extending up through hespring'ito near the top of the tube B, where it passes out through anopening and is fastened to the knob or andle K. When the instrument isto be used, the carpet-.stretcher is pushed into the 'carpet to bring itto its lace, the instrument being held somewhat toward a verticalposition, the tack is then droppedV in, which descends y its gravity tothe opening (Z, and the plunger being raised by the operator drawing onthe cord I, the passage d s opened and the tack continues its descent tothe jaws, here it is held until'the operatorlets the cord free, when neplunger descends and the tack `is driven home by the blow, the jawsparting to allow the passage of the tack nd plunger, and closing on thespringing back of the plunger to its place, when the instrument is readyfor the ext tack to be driven. The lower parts of tubes B and D areclosed with movable covers or ends, which shut pon and over the openends of the tubes'so to be suihcieutly fastened in place; these are forconvenience of ispection and repairing the parts of the tubes near/theends. i

Having thus described my invention, and the manner of operating thesame, what I claim therein as new, nd for which I desire Letters Patent,is

1. The combining and arrangingtogether the tubes B and D, to form acompound carpet-stretcher and Lck-conductor, as described.

2. I claim the combination of the tube B, formed as a cai'pebstietohcr,with the tube D as a tack-conductor, id the plunger E, and the jaws G,constructed and operating iu the manner and for Athe purposes described.

3. I claim the construction of the plunger with diierent dimensions inits diilerent parts, in combination ith the corresponding parts of' theinterior of tube B, as described, by which the action of Ithe plunger isconolled, andthe tack held hack in the tack-conductor, and thenconducted point downward int-o the 'janvs when quired.

4. I elai'nrtho ina-nner. of constructing and operating thejan's G iusections for receiving the tack, in comnation withe. plungervfor drivingthe tack, operating together in the manner and forthe-purposes-described` 5. I claimwthe combination of the plunger, thespring, and the cord, with the tubes B and D, and the jaws, ranged andoperatin g as described` 6. I claim the forming of bevel bottom tothetack-conductor D, by which the tack is by its gravity turned th itspoint toward the opening from the tube Dto that in tube B, for thepurpose and in the manner scribed.

'i'. I claim making the ends of the tubes D and B removable andadjustable by box or sliding covers, for e purpose and in the mannerdescribed.

WM'. BROWN. Witnesses J.'B. STAPLns, WILLIAM H. FIELD.

